“Conor didn’t want to come to Las Vegas and be part of any promotional training”, White said.
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Ironically, McGregor himself was in Iceland training at the time for UFC 200 when the whole event unfolded. Now, if McGregor had already decided of leaving the sport, would there be any particular reason for him to train ahead of his bout against Diaz on July 9, 2016?
Other shadowy sources have said that Conor rightfully wanted to be a top-paid fighter of all-time and frankly what he’s worth. However, there were still a lot of people out there who believed that a money dispute was in play here somewhere – and they might have been correct.
The tweet had garnered more than 100,000 retweets in about three hours, proving McGregor’s promotional power.
MMA fans shared their reactions on Twitter in their masses, but many still doubt the authenticity of McGregor’s announcement. Dana White announced the news to ESPN on Sportscenter.
Another marquee fight is expected to be added to UFC 200 now that McGregor has been pulled from the event and Diaz will now face a replacement opponent. A press conference, the filming of a commercial and other marketing spots were scheduled, White said.
UFC 196: McGregor’s last-ever fight? It’s just you can’t decide not to show up to these things.
In a statement the UFC claimed that McGregor was pulled from the bout for refusing to take part in pre-fight media activities. “You have to do it”.
He tweeted: “I have made a decision to retire young”. The UFC President said no fighter is exempt from these obligations.
A message left with McGregor’s agent seeking response to his client’s tweet was not immediately returned, nor was a message seeking comment from the UFC.
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But is McGregor really retired?
